The Future of Atlantic City

Not to be outdone by Las Vegas, Atlantic City is having it's very own construction boom

Posted by Chuckmonster

Pinnacle Entertainment - Sands AC

Pinnacle Entertainment bought the Sands Atlantic City for $250M in 2006 and immediately announced an aggressive closing date. Other than holding an auction of the Sands' physical assets and promising a stellar implosion of the building in fall 2007, not much is known about what Pinnacle plans for the future are. They have targeted 2011 as opening date for the as-yet unnamed resort and the new resort will be designed by Mirage, Paris and Treasure Island architect Joel Bergman. Pinnacle Atlantic City project will feature 2,000 resort rooms, a mall a la Tropicana's The Quarter, and of course a massive casino. There is also talk that a boutique hotel addition will also be located on the site. The design and oomph of the insanely successful Borgata will be a model for Pinnacle's Atlantic City project.

The Donald, The Steve and Bader Field

With Trump Entertainment's three casinos stuck in a revolving door or bankruptcy, stalled sales and semi-stagnation it is becoming clearer by the day the Trump era in Atlantic City is numbered. One name bandied about as a possible buyer for parts of Donald Trump's gaming assets is Wynn Resorts. Wynn Resorts have also been mentioned as a possible buyer of the recently closed Bader Field airport pending its rezoning for gaming operations. Building Wynn Atlantic City at Bader Field seems like it would satisfy Steve Wynn's artisan as casino developer urges. It would be eternally more satisfying for him to have a larger canvas to paint on than shoe horning a Mondriaan onto a postage stamp.

Conclusion

It has become apparent to gaming industry executives and analysts alike that unless Atlantic City adds more non-gaming amenities such as fine dining, retail, entertainment, spas and upscale accommodations - as Las Vegas has done in the last 10-15 years - Atlantic City's gaming profits will continue to be cannibalized by slot operations, racinos, and tribal casinos in Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut and Delaware. The days of AC surviving on a steady stream of bus junkets filled with grannies and weirdoes are numbered. It's going to be exciting to see the transformation of Atlantic City's casinos in the next few years. Having more and better choices for us gamblers is never a bad option.